For filmmaker Curry Barker, YouTube has been more than a platform to share videos. It was where he developed his filmmaking style, experimented with horror and built an audience before making the transition to feature films. His journey from online shorts to theatrical success has also become part of a wider shift, with internet creators increasingly finding opportunities in mainstream cinema.
Barker’s feature film Obsession marked a major breakthrough this year, bringing him wider recognition and establishing him as one of the new voices to watch in horror. However, the filmmaker has not left behind the platform where his journey began.
He has now returned to YouTube with Mama Bear, a five-minute horror short that premiered on October 29 on his channel, That’s a Bad Idea, which he runs with long-time collaborator Cooper Tomlinson. Written, directed and edited by Barker, the short is sponsored by Microsoft Windows and arrives just ahead of Halloween. Reportedly, the film has a surreal visual style that recalls Obsession as well as some of his earlier online horror work.
The new short also brings Barker back to the format through which he first attracted attention. His earlier works include The Chair and Warnings, while Milk & Serial, his feature debut, was made on an extremely modest budget and released for free on YouTube. The Chair was particularly significant to his career, as it caught the attention of producer James Harris, who later helped bring Obsession to the screen.
Obsession, starring Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette, follows Bear, a young man who uses a mysterious wish-granting object to make his crush fall in love with him. The wish takes a disturbing turn, exploring the darker side of obsession and possessiveness. The film was acquired by Focus Features after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to earn approximately $525 million worldwide.
Barker is also preparing for his next feature, Anything But Ghosts, a horror-comedy he co-wrote with Tomlinson. The two play con artists posing as paranormal investigators who encounter a genuine haunting. The cast includes Bryce Dallas Howard and Aaron Paul. Barker is also attached to develop a new take on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for A24, along with another original horror project for Universal and Blumhouse’s Atomic Monster.
